Our wrong conclusions about life, which the Guide calls “images,” draw events and circumstances to us like moths to a flame. This is inevitable, much like a magnet or the Law of Gravity. So what we unconsciously believe has an affect on the universal currents that float through our personal space. And they make certain life experiences flat-out unavoidable.

Maybe we have a conscious desire we cherish, that an unconscious image contradicts. Can you guess which one wins? The unconscious image trumps the conscious desire, every time. As a result, regardless of what we say we want, our life situation is showing us—through our negative manifestations—where we have contradictory desires hidden from our awareness.

So people and life events will always line up in accordance with our images. These are the misunderstandings we don’t even know we have. And it matters not a lick how strong our conscious desire may be. If we don’t know about this principle—or don’t want to know about it—we may become bitter. Because we will feel like we’re a victim of an unfair universe.

Whether or not we can see how we self-produce our difficulties, we can make the choice to prod and probe our psyche in a spirit of humility—”Perhaps there’s something I’ve got wrong?“—and openness. It often helps to hold fast to the perspective that our souls are complicated and multi-faceted. The problem isn’t that we’re not smart enough—it’s that we’re unaware of things we must become aware of.

So while the greater truth of life may be unlimited goodness, spiritual law dictates that whatever concept we’re holding onto, that’s what’s going to manifest in our lives. The trouble is we aren’t even aware of the way we hang onto untruthful notions that we long ago buried deep in our psyche. To whatever extent we can embrace this idea and have an attitude of honest questioning, to that extent the possibility of a better reality—however we conceive of that—can unfold.

If we want to know the truth, including the truth about the untruth dwelling inside us, all we have to do is ask. But we do have to ask. That’s the law. Whenever we specifically contact the greater source of wisdom within, it will respond. We will be filled with stimulating ideas and new outlooks; we will be infused with invaluable guidance and with feelings of truth and beauty. If we ask, we’ll get an answer. Again, that’s the law.

Once we start to crystallize the questions we should be asking, probing more deeply and coming more fully into awareness, action is no longer the main thing that matters most. Then the primary thing to focus on is knowing. We will begin to gain clarity and insight as we start to unwind the unshakable false conclusions we formed as children about the way life works.

Fact is, knowing how all this actually works, even before we are able to live by it, creates a sense of freedom and truthfulness inside us. Self-liking and self-respect will naturally arise from no longer buying self-understood ideas as unquestionable “facts” that we take as gospel and gloss over.

It’s hard to overstate the impact our images can have on our lives. For in the end, it doesn’t matter what other people are producing in their consciousness. Our life experiences depend only on what we’re producing. So let’s say we haven’t yet freed ourselves from fears and defenses, negativity and hopelessness, and deep, deep unresolved anger. Then chances are, a mass catastrophe could include us because we have catastrophic beliefs buried inside us.

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